Dancing with Rose
by Fragments of Space
Summary: The Doctor takes Rose out to cheer her up after Mickey decides to stay on the parallel world. However, his feelings for her may start to get the better of him when he sees her dancing with another man. Can he control his jealousy before the Tardis decides to intervene?
1. Chapter 1

**This started as just a quick little bit of fluff, but surprisingly ended up being a decent chapter length, so it might even turn into a full story depending on what kind of feedback I get :) Hope you like it! Reviews are much appreciated as this is my first time writing something like this...**

Whenever the Doctor went to sleep he saw his memories before his dreams. It wasn't something he did on purpose; it was natural for time lords, a way of documenting memories. Like a back up system. But even though it wasn't something he did intentionally, he usually enjoyed it. Especially since he was travelling with Rose Tyler. Sometimes it could be a draining process – when someone had died, when he couldn't save them, when he had to say goodbye… when he felt the old man who had seen war inside him more clearly than he felt the man he tried to show everyone else.

He could almost hear Rose tossing in her sleep, even though he knew she was rooms and rooms away from him. He imagined what she looked like sleeping. His thoughts were mostly innocent tonight (as they should be, he told himself); today he had felt the need to protect her more than anything else. To comfort her after loosing Mickey to another world. Although she had looked very… soft. With her smooth skin and clean, golden hair. Very… touchable. Soft. There was no other word for it, he decided. _Well, maybe beautiful._ He pushed out of his mind the thought that most people don't think about how beautiful their best friend is before going to sleep. But then she wasn't just his best friend. He couldn't even try to lie to himself about that. With an image of her lying peacefully, safely, in his imagination, the Doctor started to drift off into his memories.

_Rose had smiled at him the same way she always did, but he saw the way she looked at Mickey's jacket, hastily kicked under one of the chairs before they'd stepped into a different world. The world he never came back from. They had stayed with Jackie for a while, well Rose had, and the Doctor had stayed in the Tardis. He'd walked in after Rose had gone to bed, he wasn't sure why, maybe he just wanted to be closer to her. Jackie heard him and walked sharply up to his face. She hadn't said anything when they had explained where Mickey had gone, just hugged her daughter, but that was when Rose was there._

_She frowned and whispered, just loud enough that her voice still held some aggression, "you don't know how much they were startin' to love each other. Before you came along. And you don't know how much I needed 'im when you took her away." Her voice cracked a little at the end._

_She pulled away, looking sadder now. "Jackie, I-"_

_"Just save it." She looked down. "Please don't." Jackie walked away, leaving him in the hallway._

_"I'm sorry," he said quietly._

_Jackie turned around. "I do love you Doctor. Really. And I'll always protect you and my Rose. But you don't know how hard it is to be left behind." She walked away. _That memory faded a little_._

_He had needed to make Rose forget about Mickey for a while. He was standing at the console, running his fingers across the buttons, trying to think of somewhere that would make her happy. Then it clicked. "Gotcha," he smiled. Kartilia._

"_We've just landed on the fourth planet of the Quilaxian Colonial Republic, arguably the wealthiest empire of the 56th century," he told her as she walked in. "Kartilia, it's called. Named after the woman who led the Quilaxians into battle in oh… 2020, your time? Kartilia Ameralde. You'd like her. Although now it's not so much a battleground as a palace... Home to what might be the most beautiful ballroom in the universe. And we've got an invitation." He held up the psychic paper with a cheeky grin. Even with Mickey gone, he knew she couldn't help but grin back. And she looked gorgeous._

_"You should probably get into something a little less casual," he remarked, eyeing her t-shirt and overalls. She looked down at her outfit and bit her lip. "Right... Aren't you getting changed?"_

_"I will, I will! You won't even recognize me, Rose." She laughed as she walked away._

His memory swirled again.

_He was fiddling with the console screen, bent over in a different suit- black this time, white shirt, and no tie. A little different to his usual attire, but similar enough that he knew he looked good. Ten had his glasses on, squinting at the screen, when she walked in._

_"This okay then?" he heard her voice from behind him. He turned around. She was biting her lip in anticipation of his verdict. He let his mouth drop open a little as his eyes looked her up and down. She was wearing a dark blue floor length dress, made out what looked like thin silk, which was clinging slightly to her body, showing her curves beautifully. Its neckline was just low enough to see a hint of her bra, which looked black and lacey. The color made her eyes sparkle. Her hair was down, and just a little messy from pulling the dress on in a hurry._

_He raised his eyebrows as he stuttered, "it's, uh, um… well, it's better than… uh, nice. You look nice." He closed his mouth and quickly turned back to what he was doing, trying to regain composure as quickly as possibly. Rose blushed a little. It didn't seem like much of a compliment, but his expressions gave away his intention._

_"I like your suit," she said, pointing to him. He grinned at her, smoothing it down a little._

_"Well I couldn't have you showing me up, could I?" he said, holding out a hand, which she took almost automatically. He looked down at her, catching a flash of black lace, and felt his breath stop for a second._

His mind went black for a moment, and another memory rose up.

_She was sipping on the drink he had just bought her happily, clearly liking the taste of nectar and alcohol. "That's not too strong is it?" he asked with a slight frown._

_"What, you don't think I can handle it?" Rose replied with the tongue in teeth grin she couldn't know made him melt._

_"Sorry," he nodded with a sincere but begrudging smile, putting his hands up._

_Her eyes left his to look around the room again. He couldn't blame her, it really was magnificent. The ballroom looked as if it was made of ice, with long, intricate icicles hanging from the ceiling, covered in what looked like tiny diamonds. The floor looked like what could only be described as a frozen storm. It was flat to stand on, but a Qualaxian optical allusion made it look as if the floor in front of you was as three-dimensional as a rough ocean, with couples dancing between waves. He looked down at her. He loved seeing her so entranced by things. He followed her gaze back up to the ceiling, where a quartz chandelier sparkled beautifully, shining tiny rays of light on the large room's occupants._

_"Miss, Tyler, would you like to accompany me in a waltz?" he asked her, doing his best to hold back a grin._

_"Why yes Doctor," she replied in the same proper voice, "I would be delighted." He swept her onto the dance floor, making her giggle loudly in surprise. Half the waltz was spent laughing, with Rose jokingly hitting the Doctor as he held onto her waist and spun her around with the other couples. Being so close to her was heaven._

_At the end of the song a tall man, almost the Doctor's height, walked over to them. Unlike the Doctor he had gone for a full tux, and was pulling it off wonderfully. He watched Rose's eyes look over him, and felt a tiny pang of jealousy when she blushed at his smile. Although he had to admit- he was handsome. Dark brown hair, swept to the side with a slight wave, high cheekbones and black eyes. He was clearly a bit posh, the Doctor assessed – not his Rose's type of guy, surely. But then again, this one could have given Jack Harkness a run for his money, and she had fancied him… The man smiled warmly, looking only at Rose._

_"Can we help you?" said the Doctor, eager to assert his presence. The man didn't take his eyes off Rose. "May I have this dance?" he asked, holding an arm out gracefully. Rose blushed again."I'd love to," she said a little breathily, "but uh, my friend wouldn't have a dance partner." The man frowned a little. "How about I buy him a drink why he waits for you?" he said smoothly, motioning to a staff member, who nodded in understanding and walked to the bar. Rose looked up at the Doctor, as if asking for his permission. He forced a smile at her, it's not like he had a right to be possessive, after all. "Oh go on," he said. Rose smiled happily; giving him a quick wink, then took the arm that had been offered to her._

_The Doctor reluctantly walked over to the staff member waiting behind the bar, trying to look as casual as possible. "What can I get for you sir?" the pale blue woman asked him. "I don't know! What's good?" She looked a little surprised for a moment, but then said, "I would recommend the Rizzian Martini. It's one of Mr. Taro's favorites."_

_"Ah, right. Wonderful. And… who is Mr. Taro?" She nodded to the handsome man who now, much to the Doctor's distain, had his arm around Rose's waist. "Right." The Doctor frowned as he watched Taro whisper something in Rose's ear, making her look at him with a smile that was supposed to be reserved for him. He turned back to the bar. "Could you make it extra strong?" He asked, rubbing on his neck. The woman held back a laugh, but gave him a knowing smile. "Of course, sir."_

Her words faded away, and the image of the bar behind her swirled into black. He was glad to leave the memory of Rose dancing with another man behind. Slowly a new moment appeared to him, quickly becoming clear in his mind.

_Rose looked over curiously at his drink, which was slowly turning a bright orange color. "Rizzian Martini, apparently," he told her, "sort of tastes like honey, but spicier." He took another sip, feeling the flavors on his tongue. "Your Mr. Taro has some interesting tastes," he said. She blushed a little before frowning at him._

_"He's not mine- we only had one dance!"_

_"Yeah, well…" the Doctor's voice was a little high. Rose traced the outline of her lips absentmindedly, making him stare a little. She sighed. "Something wrong?"_

_"No, it's lovely. Really. I love it." "But?" He questioned her. "Nothing. It's perfect." They smiled at each other a little giddily, Rose moving her straw around her second drink. The Doctor had only just noticed she had one. "What's that?"_

_"Oh… Taro." She said, with another little blush. The Doctor was getting sick of not being the cause of those. He nodded. "Hold on a minute," he said, suddenly sensing one of those sparks in his brain, "Taro… where do I know that name?" Rose shrugged, eyes finding her former dance partner across the room."Taro… Taro, Taro, Taro. Did he say what his first name was?"_

_"Um… Damie, I think. Yeah that's right. Damie." She was looking at over him, watching him talking to an older man. The Doctor put his hand through his hair as he thought. Rose's eyes hadn't left Damie, which disappointed him. She usually liked his hair. "Oh!" he said, a little loudly. "Damie Taro!" He looked at Rose with a smirk._

_"What?"_

_"Your boyfriend's the future prince."_

_"Seriously?" She asked incredulously._

_"Seriously. Bit of a step up from Mr. Mickety-Mick." And me, he thought silently._

_"Blimey," Rose replied, obviously impressed. "Maybe I should go and talk to him again," she said leaning in. "You know, be the Camilla," she finished with an exaggerated accent, grinning at him._

_"Nah, we've got more important stuff to do!" said the Doctor, moving back. Rose raised an eyebrow at him and took another sip of her drink. "Like what?"_

_"They've got a photo booth," he said wiggling his eyebrows. She looked disbelieving. "The 56th century and they've got photo booths?"_

_"Of course! It's vintage! Very chic." Rose turned her head to the side a little as she spoke, "Well then, lead the way, Doctor!"_

The Doctor smiled at the memory of taking her arm again. Even this close to sleep he couldn't help smiling at the thought of her. He felt his body getting heavier, and knew, hazily, that this would be the last memory before he began to dream.

_They looked down at the black and white picture of them. The Doctor frowned. "Not my best photo," he muttered._

_"Oh I love it!" said Rose, taking it from him. "You look cute," she said, pointing to his confused face. The Doctor smiled at her compliment, but then frowned again._

_"I'm trying to work out if it's taking a photo! And look, you're laughing at me!"_

_Rose grinned at him, giggling. "Not my fault I'm more photogenic," she said with a cheeky grin. He smiled down at her for a few seconds, and then pulled her into a big hug. "What's this for?" she said, wrapped up by him, feet almost off the ground. He put her down again, hands in his pockets._

_"No reason," he shrugged, looking at her fondly. She smiled back, a little bemused by him. "Come on," she said, "let's go dance – you can show me ya moves." The Doctor grinned. Take that princey boy, he thought to himself smugly._

He rolled over as his mind went blank again, more than content to have his final memory of the night be one with her. Haziness was all around him, and the Tardis hummed softly in his ears. "Good night old girl," he muttered, gliding easily into his dreams.

The Doctor woke up earlier than Rose, which was normal. It was no secret that fully-grown time lords needed much less sleep than nineteen-year-old humans. He paced around the console room contently, letting his mind wander, running his fingers lightly over the buttons. The Tardis hummed peacefully. He could tell she liked having Rose with them. Especially since he regenerated. She had always liked Rose, but he suspected the Bad Wolf had made her connection to her stronger. And Rose had said a few times she could feel her, which was more than any other companion had ever experienced. Of course it still didn't come close to the Doctor's connection, but then he was a time lord, so that much was obvious. The Tardis spoke quietly in the back of his mind. It was more a feeling than words, but he understood her perfectly. She was telling him not to underestimate her connection to Rose. He smiled to himself and leant against the console. "I told you she was special," he said happily.

"Who's special?" The Doctor turned around to see a sleepy Rose smiling at him. "Oh, no one," he said, smiling back at her. Rose rubbed her eyes, smudging mascara.

"I was too tired to take my makeup off," she explained. He looked at her for a minute. She was wearing pink pajamas, and her hair was a tied up in a messy bun. Rose yawned, almost squeaking a little. He smiled to himself. She was adorable sometimes.

"So," he began, full of energy, "how about we go out for breakfast?"

"Where to?" Rose asked, gaining some of his energy.

"How about… Barcelona?"

Rose grinned. "Spain Barcelona or dogs with no noses Barcelona?"

"Oh, dogs with no noses Barcelona for sure," he replied, with the sort of charisma only the Doctor had. She jumped a little excitedly.

"I'll go get dressed!" Rose turned and half-ran back to her room, leaving the Doctor grinning after her.

She returned wearing one of his favorite t-shirts, he said he liked the color, but really it was down to the way it hugged her waist like that, and one of her normal pairs of jeans. Her hair was in plaits, something that he hadn't seen her do often, but he liked. But then he liked anything she did.

"You ready?"

"Yup!" she said, popping the p in a very Doctor way as she took his hand.

The Doctor loved taking her to new places. They had a little routine worked out, although he didn't know if she was conscious of it in the same way he was. First, he would tell her something about where, or when, they were. Then she'd look up at him like it was the best day of her life and he was Father Christmas (who says he wasn't). He'd give her another fact, and she'd say something cute and funny and so _Rose_, and he'd look at her with that big grin that was only for her. He liked their rhythms. The little habits in a life that was constantly changing. _"Better with two."_ She was right when she'd said that, the Doctor mused as they walked through Barcelona, holding hands the way they always did. He couldn't imagine doing this alone anymore. And he knew Rose couldn't either. She might be better off without him, sure, away from danger and fire and the dark parts of him that seemed to fade with her. But neither of them could do that. And in this moment he was sure he would never, could never, let anything separate them. He grinned down at her with that thought, and she smiled back.

"Happy?" she asked.

"Happy," he replied with a nod. "Ah! Here we are then!"

They came to a stop outside what would have looked like a thin, Earth like, villa-style café, had it not been made of pink glass, and what Rose assumed was an… organic type of brick. As they walked in she touched the wall tentatively, and was sure she heard it purr. The Doctor pulled her inside gently, smiling at the waitress who greeted them. Rose jumped a little when she saw her, but travelling with the Doctor had made her good at playing cool in surprising situations.

After they had been led to a table and left alone, she leaned into the Doctor and whispered, "I thought it was only the dogs that had no noses..." The Doctor chuckled at her in response, tossing the Barcelonan equivalent of a complimentary peanut into his mouth.

They waiting for food chatting as they usually did, when suddenly the Doctor got the feeling Rose was holding something back.

"You all right?" he asked, continuing to eat peanuts.

"Yeah… yeah I am. I was just thinkin' about Mickey again is all. He would have loved this."

The Doctor reached out and took her hand. She held his back, and looked up at him. That look told him she would be okay, she just needed this moment. He gave it to her, stroking her hand without thinking. "He's okay, Rose. He's happy and alive and with family. And I'm sure he misses you just as much."

"Yeah. Yeah you're right… Anyway. I was meaning to say, last night was wonderful. Thanks."

"Oh you never have to thank me! We're like shiver and shake- we're a team! I'm shake, by the way…" He finished with a wink. She snorted a little.

"I still can't believe I danced with a _prince_." She said with some amazement.

"Yeah well you also danced with a lord of time." He smiled at the end, playing off what had been a somewhat bitter comment off as a joke.

Rose fell for it, laughing, "You're full of it!" and nudging him under the table playfully. "I'm just going to the bathroom," she said, "I'll be right back."

"All right… Watch out for the mirrors! They're a little enthusiastic..." She looked at him confused, but walked away. Oh well, she'd find out soon enough.

_"I danced with a prince."_ The Doctor drummed his fingers on the table impatiently. He didn't like being alone when there was nothing to do. Especially when he had images of Rose dancing with another man, boasting about being with another man, unwilling to leave him alone. He scowled a little. He was being immature. Stupid. Rose didn't belong to him! Although, he thought, it would be nice if she did. He quickly swept aside the thought of Rose, stepping towards him in last nights dress, pushing off one of the straps, _"I belong to you."_ Nope. He refused to think like that. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. "Just about enough of that," he muttered to himself. But he really couldn't help it when he heard her voice saying it again, hands on his chest –

"Doctor?" He jumped a little, looking up. Rose was back, looking at him with an amused expression. "You okay there?"

"Yep. Yep. Fine. Absolutely, completely fine."

"Very convincing too," she said with half a smirk, sitting back down. "You know," she said, "when you said the mirrors were enthusiastic, I didn't think you meant my reflection would try and fix my hair." She shook her head in amazement.

The Doctor reached out and touched her hair lightly, "it doesn't need any fixing, it looks lovely." Rose blushed. He drew his hand back quickly. "Anyway," he said, eager for her to forget that little intimate moment, "food should be here soon. I just ordered standard breakfasts. Should be good. Could be terrible. Hope not."

Rose laughed internally at him. It was obvious he was eager to please her. She touched her hair and smiled. She hadn't been sure about it today, but she would definitely be repeating this hairstyle now.

They ate their food happily; back to chatting normally - half-laughing and half-flirting, and walked back to the Tardis arm in arm. It was funny, Rose thought to herself, how this level of intimacy was okay with the Doctor, walking around like a couple, that he was fine with; but anything more than their hugs or the odd kiss on the cheek and he would withdraw. He had been finding it harder lately to do that though, not that she could tell. Especially today, after last night. He had been trying to keep his mind off it, really he had. Men flirted with Rose all the time, usually it didn't bother him. Well okay, it did, but he knew they were no competition, and he didn't give them a single thought after he had whisked her away. But this time it was different. Maybe it was because he had been good looking, royal, charming even. The way he held Rose, the way she blushed in his arms, was sticking to his mind like the most infuriating post-it note in the universe. "Terrible analogy," he muttered under his breath as he closed the door behind him.

Rose was already walking around the console in the same way he had this morning, feeling the buttons like he had. "Oh, are you driving?" he asked teasingly.

"I might be great at it," she teased back, "much better than you anyway, always getting the date wrong."

"Oi! I try my best! I always get us there in the end!"

"Mhmmm sure you do," she said, tongue in teeth.

"Stop bullying the designated driver," he said, in a mock stern voice.

"Or what?" she laughed playfully.

The Doctor's imagination raced for half a second_. "Or I'll make you." He walked over and took her into his arms, pulling her in close. He tucked the fly away strand of hair behind her ear, looking deep into her eyes. She bit her lip. He leaned in._

He blinked. "Or… I'll just have to take you home." She laughed again, pretending to be shocked. "Never!"

"Never say never ever…" She rolled her eyes. He noticed one of the chairs wasn't sitting properly, and bent over, brainy specs now on, to sonic it back into place.

"Doctor?"

"Mmm."

"I know you like to go to new places…"

"Mhmm."

He continued to sonic the chair, which was slowly bending back into place.

"But I was wondering, can we go back to that ball?"

He stood up, putting his glasses into his pocket. "Why'd you want to go there?" He asked, ignoring the heavy lump in his stomach.

"Well it was so beautiful," she said, and he breathed a subtle sigh of relief, "and I never actually thanked that… well, prince, for buying me a drink. Seems rude since he's royalty an' all."

The Doctor smiled at her, but groaned internally. Rose Tyler was going to make him go insane, and she had no idea.


	2. Chapter 2

Rose had wandered off to get changed, saying something about "needing to look better than last night." The Doctor had convinced her that they should spend the rest of the day on Barcelona, seemingly eager to show her the sights. Rose was a little surprised at the suggestion; most of the time he liked to move on fairly quickly, unless there was trouble, of course. But she was happy to follow him almost anywhere. When they ventured back to the Tardis Rose had been quick to remind him about the ballroom.

"There'll have to be a few days between our last visit, even though it was just last night for us," The Doctor told her, "it's a little frowned upon to be there too often when you're not a council member." Rose nodded. "Or royalty," he added under his breath.

"But, Damie 'ill be there, right?" she asked, trying to seem casual as she fiddled with the zipper on her jacket. The Doctor turned away so she didn't see him frown.

"Yup, he'll be there," he tried to sound enthusiastic.

The Doctor remembered how his past self had felt watching Rose kiss Mickey, always turning away a little, and wondered if he'd have to wander off tonight… _No. Not going to happen_, he snapped at himself internally. Rose had been gone for a while now, he noticed. Longer than it usually took her to get dressed, anyway. As if on cue, he heard a yell.

"Doctor!" He snapped up quickly, reading to break into the automatic run he always leapt into at the sound of her calling him. Realizing that she couldn't be in any danger, he changed his pace to a fast walk.

He walked into the huge wardrobe to see Rose standing mid-way up the stairs, looking a little overwhelmed.

"You all right?" he asked her, walking up the stairs to meet her.

"Well, usually the Tardis sort of, points me in the right direction. But today it's like, I don't know, she doesn't wanna help."

The Doctor fought off a grin. His old girl wanted Rose to stay right here with him. "Right," he said, "weird." He tugged on his earlobe.

"I really have no idea where to start. I mean its kind of massive." She motioned around her. "So… could you um… I don't know, help me?" She looked a little nervous.

"Oh, um, of course. Yeah." Rose breathed a sigh of relief at his response.

"Well, I guess you could start by showing me where I might find some dresses? Usually there's one kind of… waiting." He noticed she seemed almost embarrassed to be asking for his help. _Well,_ he noted, _it's not like I usually help her get dressed. _He snapped back out of his thoughts quickly. "Follow me, Miss Tyler."

She followed him up the stairs and through several rows of clothes. Rose looked curiously around her as she walked. Kimonos, cricket pants, ball gowns, suits of armor and an inexplicable display of sticks of celery all flew by her eyes as they walked quickly.

"Right," said the Doctor as they reached a new rack of clothes, suspended from the very, very tall ceiling. He put his hands in his pockets. "These should be alright, I think. To be honest I don't really wear dresses that often…"

Rose gave a slightly awkward smile. "Thanks, Doctor."

He shrugged a little in response, cursing himself mentally for being so un-charming when she was about to go off chasing some random alien. Some random alien that wasn't him.

"So," she said, trying to get back to their usual playful mood, "what do you think about this one?" Rose held up what could only be described as a bright orange marshmallow of a dress, grinning cheekily.

The Doctor laughed at her. "Definitely not." She faked a scowl, making him beam at her.

"What about… this one?" she asked, pulling it out with a flourish.

"Ha!" he couldn't help grinning, "not quite your style," he said, scrunching up his nose, taking in the dramatic layers of what looked like green foil. The Doctor walked over to the rack, Rose's eyes following him affectionately. He clicked his tongue as he scanned over the clothing. He pulled a dress out with a silly "oooooh" that made Rose giggle, and held it up to her.

He looked at her, and looked at the dress. "Well?" she asked. "Top banana!" He said loudly, with a wink. "I'll go get changed then," she smiled back.

The Doctor smiled to himself as she walked away with his pick. The dress was a dark fuchsia color, with a few layers of tulle underneath the short skirt. It was strapless, with a thin band of ribbon around the waist. He couldn't wait to see her in it. The Doctor started to whistle happily, then stopped mid-tune when he remembered she wasn't wearing it for him. He leant against the other dresses glumly. The Tardis hummed softly in his head, telling him to relax wordlessly. "You're the one that hid clothes from her," he muttered in annoyance.

Rose weaved in and out of rows of clothing, trying to find a place to get changed. The Tardis certainly wasn't making it easy for her today, she thought to herself. Eventually she gave up, and decided to change her clothes were she was. After all, there were at least twenty racks between her and the Doctor now, and she was sure she'd gone further upstairs at some point. She shrugged to herself, and slipped her t-shirt over her head.

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and started to wander back to the console room, deciding to wait for Rose there. After a few racks he paused for a moment, confused. This wasn't the way he came. He turned around a few times, running a hand through his hair. "Where are you taking me, sexy?" he asked the Tardis, running his tongue over his teeth as he finished the thought. Shrugging, he decided to just continue walking until his ship decided to point him in the right direction. He walked for a few meters before it occurred to him that Rose might be in the same predicament.

"Rose?" he called out a little tentatively, turning a corner. "Rose?"

Rose stood up a little as she finally got her jeans off. They were really too tight for her. "Doctor?" she called back. "Hold on, I'm getting changed!"

"What?" he called back, turning another corner.

I'm getting changed!" she laughed.

He frowned to himself. It wasn't normal for his time lord hearing to be worse than hers. He walked into a new row of clothes, about to call for Rose again, when he saw her with her back to him. She was in her underwear, he realized, a little shocked. His eyes drifted down her back slowly as he stood with his mouth open slightly. He couldn't help wondering what it would be like to walk over and let his fingers slide down over her spine…

"Doctor?" she called, still facing away from him. "Did you hear me?"

The Doctor suddenly realized he was looking at her without her knowing, and covered his eyes quickly. "Yep!" he said a little too loudly, and a little too anxiously. Rose spun around, automatically covering herself up with the dress. Her cheeks were bright red, but it was hard not too giggle at the sight of the Doctor looking so embarrassed himself, hands clamped over his eyes.

"Turn around!" she said in as stern a voice as she could manage.

"Right, yep. Doing it now." He said, quickly facing the other way, feeling her scowl at him a little. The Doctor chastised the Tardis mentally. _Not funny_, he thought as accusingly as possible. His ship stayed silent.

"Alright, now you can look," Rose said. He turned around to see her now dressed, but still blushing. She looked just as good as he imagined her. "That's better then," he said timidly, scratching his nose sheepishly and looking down. Rose couldn't help laugh. "Don't do that again," she pointed at him.

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said, hands in pockets, following her away from the rack.

* * *

The Doctor ordered drinks for himself and Rose from the same bartender who'd given him that sympathetic look last night. Rose had spied Taro and left quickly, giving him a kiss on the cheek as she walked away. Usually that kiss would have been enough to leave him grinning for a few minutes, but instead he watched her disappear into the crowd with a poorly disguised frown. He turned back around to face the pale blue woman, who had the same slightly pitying smile on her face. The Doctor took a large gulp of his drink and she laughed at him.

"What's so funny?" He asked putting on his glasses to study the bubbling effect in his drink.

"Sorry, sir," she said quickly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to report you... Really though, why're you looking at me like that?"

"Well, if you really want to know, sir, I just think it's sort of sweet, the way you pine after her like that."

"I am not pining!" he objected quickly, almost whining.

She stifled another laugh. "Can I tell you something?" The woman asked him, looking a little maternal.

The Doctor leant in towards her.

"I think she has a bit of a crush on you," she said with a smile.

"Oh, c'mon," The Doctor pulled back, making a scoffing noise, before looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "Just…. Just out of curiosity, what makes you say that, exactly?"

The bartender smiled at him trying to play off his emotions. "Just the way she looks at you," she said, before walking away to serve another guest.

The Doctor drummed his fingers on his jaw, spinning around a little in his chair. Rose, having a crush on him? Not likely. They were best friends, sure, but that was all they were. Best friends who sometimes risked their lives for each other, and couldn't bear to be apart… The Doctor made a huffing noise and quickly finished his drink, standing up. They were more than best friends. They were the Doctor and Rose Tyler. But that didn't mean she thought of him as anything more than that. _Even if I… _This brain shut down the thought. _Not going there. Not going there. Not going there. _It was getting harder to focus lately. Rose couldn't seem to stop breaking down his walls. He slipped his glasses back inside his jacket and went to find her.

It took him ten minutes of wondering around aimlessly before he reached her. He'd had to ask a waiter if they'd seen a Mr. Taro and a blonde girl around, and they'd told him to look in what they'd called 'the glass room,' pointing in the direction of one of the many engraved doors at the edge of the ballroom. He stood with his hand on the doorknob for a second, not quite wanting to go in, and wishing the door had actually been made of glass so he could see what exactly Rose was doing in a private room… Actually, maybe he didn't. He tapped his leg a few times, trying to decide whether or not to go in. He groaned.

"Don't open it, don't open it… Okay I'm gonna open it." He opened the door.

There were a few people sitting around the small room, which was just as lavishly beautiful as the ballroom, decorated in the same shades of crystal white and blue. Most of its occupants were couples, he noticed with a slight sinking feeling.

There was a waiter walking around and filling up glasses of what he assumed was either champagne or Quilaxian liquid fudge. Either way, it was enough to make Rose tipsy, he noted grimly. He scanned the room quickly and spotted her, painfully, in the corner with Taro, sitting a little too close for his liking. She had her back to him, but Taro was directly in the Doctor's line of vision, shooting Rose a handsome smile.

All of his previous thoughts about them being nothing more than friends were dismissed in a sudden, unstoppable rush of possessiveness that he was aware he would chastise himself for later. The Doctor walked over to the corner, a hint of the Oncoming Storm dancing dangerously in his eyes as Rose laughed loudly.

He stood in front of them, practically glaring. Rose didn't even turn around. Damie glanced up from their conversation, still smiling at something she had said to him. "Can we help you?" he asked, voice smooth, repeating the Doctor's first statement to him. The Doctor fought the urge to punch him. Rose turned around and looked up at him.

"Doctor!" she said, sounding surprised. Suddenly painfully aware of his expression, the Doctor forced a smile at her. "Hello! Just thought I'd see how you were doing," he said, as casually as possible. Rose gave him a slightly puzzled look, noticing how unnatural his smile seemed.

"Oh, you're Rose's friend, aren't you?" Taro spoke up. "From the other night?" God he wanted to punch him. Rose's _friend_. Arrogant git.

"Yep, that's me! Don't mind if I join you, do you?" he said, making a point of sitting in between them. Taro frowned at him a little. "That's… fine."

"Great." The Doctor said, looking at him with a subtle glare Rose couldn't see. Taro caught on instantly, and gave Rose a quick look. Rose however, didn't quite catch it's meaning.

"Oh, right, sorry… Damie, this is the Doctor, Doctor, this is Damie." She said with a slight apologetic tone.

"Nice to meet you, Doctor," Damie said, extending a hand, "Damie Taro, third member of the royal council. I hope you're enjoying your evening."

The Doctor took his hand firmly, "I'm the Doctor. Lord of time. And I've had better."

"Anyway," said Rose quickly, noticing the tension (although a little confused by it), "Damie was just explaining how he helped restore the building."

"Well, I've always loved history."

"Really? I prefer to live it," the Doctor said, in a melodramatically bored tone. Rose frowned at him.

"Would you excuse us for a second, Damie?" she said, taking the Doctor by the arm. "Uh- of course." Rose pulled the Doctor out of the room quickly, closing the door behind her. She stood in front of him with her arms crossed.

"Mind telling me what all that was about, then?" she said.

The Doctor rolled on his feet a few times. "What uh… what what was about?"

Rose rolled her eyes. "You were being rude."

"Was I? Didn't even notice. You know what I'm like."

She gave him a look that would have rivaled her mother's glares.

"What?" he said, a little timidly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You embarrassed me," she said quietly, making him feel sick for a moment. He put his face down, ready to apologize, when an image of her sitting close to Taro shot through his mind, and anger unexpectedly flared inside him.

"You were embarrassed?" he spat at her, words hot in his mouth, "What did you think; you could just do whatever you wanted? Hmm? Is that it? You were the one who embarrassed me, Rose!" He shot the words at her aggressively, biting the insides of his cheeks.

Rose didn't say anything. Her mouth fell open a little in shock, and a hurt expression slowly came onto her face, as if he'd just hit her. "Right, then. Guess I'm just another stupid ape after all," she said.

He didn't say anything, and she turned and walked away from him.

The Doctor stood in disbelief as he realized what he'd said. He wanted to kick himself. How could he say that to Rose? Amazing, fantastic Rose? He felt like his hearts would give out.

He was too old, he thought bitterly. _Old and selfish and stupid_. He would wait for her in the Tardis, he decided, then apologize a hundred times and take her to somewhere ten times more beautiful than this. The more he thought about his words the more knots he could feel twisting inside his stomach, clawing away at his insides.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

Taro was standing there, with a slightly amused expression. "Where's Rose?" he asked. The Doctor didn't try to hide the disgust in his expression, however unwarranted it was. He looked at him as if he was the one who had just hurt his Rose.

"Now listen closely, because I am only going to say this once," he hissed. "Back. Off."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard," he said, walking away.

He heard Taro call after him, but he didn't listen to what he said. The Doctor's head was spinning. He had just insulted the man who, if his history was correct, and it always was, would most likely become king of one of the most influential powers in the galaxy. Not exactly a wise move. Even worse, he had upset Rose.

* * *

He walked into the Tardis in a state of complete self-loathing. He heard her hum softly in his mind, reading his thoughts and seeing his memories. "I know," he muttered to her, "I'm awful."

He felt the Tardis yearning for Rose in the same way he did, trying to tell him to go to her. Of course he couldn't go to her, after what he'd just said. He groaned at the thought of it. They'd never really fought before, not since he'd regenerated, anyway. And even before that it had only ever truly happened once. What the hell had come over him?

_Jealousy_, the Tardis seemed whispered to him. He felt pathetic as he realized she was right. He sat down in the chair he had straightened earlier and put his head in his hands.

It might have been minutes or hours later when Rose opened the door. The Doctor sat up, looking at her. Her eyes were a little red, he noticed, and his stomach felt like lead.

"Rose, I-" he started, but she stopped him.

"I don't know why you said that, Doctor," she said in a small voice, "but every time you've gotten annoyed with me like that you've always been right… So, whatever it was, I'm sorry."

He looked at her in surprise. He should be the one apologizing, not her. He went to speak but she opened her mouth again.

"But that doesn't mean," her voice was a little louder now, "that you get to be awful to me."

"I'm sorry," he said, walking over and putting a hand on her arm. "It was stupid. You're right. I shouldn't have said it."

Rose bit her lip and looked up at him. "S'okay... You're okay too, right?" she asked softly. He leant down and engulfed her in a hug. She hugged him back, putting her face in his chest. "I'm always okay," he said into her ear, "and I'm really sorry, Rose. Really." She broke out of the hug, still holding onto his arms, and gave him a small smile, and he knew he was forgiven. Magically, inexplicably, forgiven.

_She's too good for me_, he thought.

_She needs you_, the Tardis hummed in his mind, _and we need her._ She could only ever say a few words to him, mostly it was just feelings. He felt her pain at seeing something come between him and Rose.

Rose bit her lip again, studying his face. "What was that about though, Doctor?" she said, her thick London accent coming through, "where'd that come from?"

"Oh I don't know," the Doctor said, breaking away from her, "I think I'm just a bit tired for ballrooms."

"I thought you said time lords didn't need much sleep."

"I exaggerated a little," he lied. She smiled at him.

"Off you go then," she said, cocking her head towards the corridor, smiling normally now, "gotta be able to keep up with me."

The Doctor forced a laugh as he walked away from Rose. It felt awful to be lying to her, even if it was best for the both of them.

* * *

"_Thief…"_

The Tardis whispered to him. The Doctor was lying in the dark of his room, pretending to be asleep. He felt like a teenager. He smirked at the thought of Rose sulking in her bedroom. It wasn't too far away for her, that life. But for him it was centuries.

"Thief..."

He sat up. Had he just heard the Tardis… outside of his mind? He frowned. "Impossible," he muttered, not really believing his ears. He stayed still for a few seconds, listening. Silence. The Doctor lay back down again, blaming his imagination. His mind began to turn back to Rose. The way she had looked at him, and how his hands had been stinging as if he really had slapped her. A new wave of guilt washed over him.

"My thief…"

The Doctor jerked back up again. "Okay, now I know I can hear you," he said into the darkness. "How are you doing this?" he asked her, feeling a little silly talking to what was, physically, nothing. But just as that thought occurred to him, he felt the Tardis' hum become stronger, more forceful, until it seemed to shift into a physical form. A thin, golden strand appeared in front of him, seeming to float in front of his eyes.

"Hello," he said, looking at it curiously. The strand began to spin quickly, shifting, expanding. The Doctor moved back a little, just in time to see it explode outwards, lighting the room with a bright golden glow. He blinked, and saw a woman standing in the center of the room, surrounded by the light. The Doctor had never seen her before, and yet she was so familiar. She seemed to be solid, flesh and blood, but her skin ran with liquid gold, and her eyes burned like Roses' had when she saved him. She reached out a hand and touched him on the face softly.

"My thief," she whispered, "I need to talk you."

The Doctor touched the hand that was on his face, looking at her in amazement. "How can you possibly be here? Like this?" he asked her in amazement.

"We are linked," the soul of the Tardis said, smiling at him.

"But I don't understand, how can that extend beyond telepathy?"

"It cannot," she replied, her hand leaving his face.

"So if Rose was to walk in now…"

"She would see only darkness."

"Ah. Right... How did you make our link strong enough to do this?"

"The link we share _is_ strong, it allows me to whisper inside your head. But my Wolf has looked inside my soul, and I into hers. She is a part of me. We are linked deeper than even you could have known. When you took the light from her, some of that link transferred to you. It has made our bond stronger."

The Doctor smiled, "Rose," he whispered. "Does that mean you could share this with her?"

"The path between her soul and mine fragmented when you took the light, this will only shatter it more. Her mind cannot sustain my love for her. But we will always be joined together."

"Yeah I know what you mean," he said, almost under his breath, running a hand through his hair. He looked at the soul in front of them, trying to take in its magnificence. "You really are beautiful," he said. She put a finger on his lips.

"I don't have long. Your mind is strong but it is hers that established my path to you. It is fragmenting even now. I must tell you, my thief. My Doctor."

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Do not let this man come between you," she whispered, "do not let him dull your bond."

"Are you saying," the Doctor said, "that you built up a visual telepathic link, crossed three separate, living minds, just to tell me not to get too jealous?"

"Do not mock me, thief," she said, her eyes burning. The Doctor pulled back slightly, and she softened.

"I love you, my Doctor. I am your protector. I see the past and the future and the universe but I can only give you this one moment. My heart is linked to the Bad Wolf and we know how her path will end. "

"Tell me," he said firmly.

"You know I cannot. The path is fragmenting. Let her heal you. We need her, my thief. We need to protect ourselves, while our wolf is still in reach. Do not let emotion blind you to her importance in this moment. Gather your heart before the storm."

"What storm?"

"Do not hold back, my thief. Or you will see her face in your next life and let guilt fall from your lips." She ran her fingers across his lips softly.

"Are you saying… I should tell her how I feel?" He paused, looking at the Tardis.

"She knows," he said. "She's always known."

The Tardis looked him sadly. "It is time."

Blinding gold light filled the room again, forcing the Doctor to shut his eyes. When he opened them again, he was alone.

* * *

**That got a little more angsty than I was expecting, and it was a little bit longer, hopefully no one minds - but I have a plan now! This is practically writing itself, so it shouldn't be too long until the next chapter** **Happy reading! **


	3. Chapter 3

Rose leant against the wall, breathing heavily. She shouldn't be out of breath after such a short run; especially given how much fitter she was now, constantly running with the Doctor. But what she had heard when she reached his bedroom door was enough to make the breath catch in her throat, and she hadn't had time to recover from the jog over.

He had been talking, and that in its self didn't surprise her too much, he always muttered to the Tardis, or made quick quips at her when they arrived in the wrong place (or time). But this was different… It almost sounded like a conversation. No, not almost. Definitely. And there was something in his voice…. She couldn't make out the words at first, not wanting to intrude by leaning in, but she knew him well enough to understand the tone. At first it sounded like amazement, but then it turned into something else, something that meant she couldn't help but press her ear against the door – fear.

She heard a soft hum, soft enough that anyone else would miss it, almost like the sound of the wind. And then he spoke again, and this time she could hear him.

"Tell me," he said firmly.

Rose frowned. Something was happening, and it wasn't good. She instinctively looked to her side to share her worried expression, but no one was there. It was him she was spying on. Rose pushed the word _spying _out of her mind…

That hum was back again. It was so familiar. She heard the Doctor's voice.

"What storm?"

Rose bit her lip. She usually liked the word storm. Mostly because it was part of him: _The Oncoming Storm_. But the way he said it now, she knew this storm didn't mean she was being saved. It meant something was coming. _'Or maybe it's already here,'_ she thought.

She was interrupted from this thought as he spoke again. "Are you saying… I should tell her how I feel?" The Doctor paused. "She knows. She's always known."

Rose felt her heart flutter. She knew he was talking about her. It was always unspoken between them - that bond. But they both knew it was there, and they knew how important it was. Rose knew that she needed him, and she knew that he needed her. That was what the Doctor was talking about, that unbreakable link they had to each other, wasn't it? Suddenly it dawned on her that maybe she shouldn't be listening to this conversation.

She stepped back from the door slowly, and turned and ran lightly back to her room, moving away just in time to miss that familiar golden light shining under the door.

* * *

The Doctor's eyes took a second to adjust to the lack of light. His mind was racing in the way it always did when he was given a taste of mystery, trying to fit the pieces into place. But he couldn't bring the solution into focus; too weighed down by one thought – _'her path will end.' _Rose was in danger.

He rubbed his eyes, letting his hands rest in the hollows of his cheeks before leaning against the bed frame. If he had known that she was in danger in any other moment, if anything else had given him that knowledge, he would have run to her. But it was the Tardis, which meant that whatever it was, this storm, it was in his future.

_'Do not let him dull your bond.' _The Doctor turned the lights on, rubbing his chin. The Tardis was here. Really here. As touchable as Rose was. But then, Rose was leaving… The Tardis had implied that in every word. He silenced the thought quickly, but couldn't push the rising memory from his mind.

_"This is really seeing the future, you just leave us behind," Rose had said, the slight aggressiveness is her voice not hiding the pain and fear in her eyes. "Is that what's gonna happen to me?" she asked, almost as if she didn't want an answer. "No," he said quickly. "Not to you."_

He breathed in quickly. "Not to you," he repeated, with an air of finality. Whatever was coming, he would not let it take Rose. No matter what his Tardis thought that she could see. She'd promised him forever, and if that broke… well it would break them both with it. And he wouldn't let that happen. He had to see Rose. He had to be with her. As soon as he came to the realization that he would have to go to her it felt completely unstoppable. The Doctor pushed the door open quickly, straightening his tie as he walked towards her room.

* * *

Rose Tyler's head was spinning. "What storm?" she asked herself quietly, trying to quell the fear that was growing inside her. It had something to do with her, she knew that much. But she couldn't talk to the Doctor. Could she? No, he'd know she'd been spying on him. Not that that had been her intention... She pushed a stray blonde lock behind her ear and walked over to her iPod. Music always calmed her down. Rose put on her earphones and lay on the bed, choosing to ignore her thoughts and just focus on the music. She chewed on her lip habitually as Britney Spears sung seductively into her ears. Rose smiled a little, knowing the Doctor would laugh at her song choice.

As if the thought of him had been a cue, there was a knock at her door. She sat up quickly, pulling off her earphones. The Doctor opened the door, startling her a little. He usually knocked, she noted silently. They looked at each other in silence for a moment as Rose stood up. He swallowed. _Let her heal you. _Without even stopping to acknowledge the memory of the words he obeyed them, walking over to Rose and enveloping her in his arms. He breathed her in. She hugged back, pulling him closer to her. He felt his eyes close, and was thankful that she didn't speak. Rose sighed into him, making the Doctor's hearts beat a little quicker, even as time seemed to move slower around them.

"Doctor," she breathed into his ear, "what's wrong?" They broke apart a little, and he looked down at her. Rose's mouth fell open a little as she looked into his eyes, which almost looked his age. "I…" he started to speak, almost with an air of desperation. His eyes darted over to the iPod on the bed. _'With a taste of your lips I'm on a rush…'_ He looked back at Rose with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't know you were a Britney fan," he said with a smirk.

* * *

**I'm sorry I've been a bit slow in getting this up, life has been a little busy over the last few days. I know this is a short chapter, but it felt odd not to end it here, and I should have the next one up tonight as compensation :) **


	4. Chapter 4

Rose pulled away properly now, almost laughing. She walked over to her iPod and turned it off.

"So," said the Doctor, "Britney, hey?"

Rose looked up at him and smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She bit her lip and looked down, making the Doctor walk over to her and put a hand on her arm.

"S'okay," Rose said, pulling away from him again, "I'm good, really."

The Doctor frowned at her. "Rose if there's something wrong you can tell me."

There was a pause, and the only sound was the Tardis humming. The Doctor could hear her trying to whisper into his ear, but his focus was on Rose.

"Would you tell me?" she asked. "If someone was wrong, I mean."

He looked away for a moment, and when he looked back, meeting her eyes again, his face was full of an emotion she couldn't quite pin point. Not anger, not passion, but something else. Something that burned. The Doctor took Rose's face in his hands. "I'll always protect you. You don't have to worry about that." She nodded. He took her hand and began to lead her out of the room.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"I think we should let the Tardis decide that one."

* * *

The Doctor stood in front of the console, looking up towards the ceiling. Rose had her hands in her back pockets, looking at him with a worried feeling she was trying to dismiss.

"Come on girl, tell me what I have to do. We ran out of time, I know. But you can take us where we need to go, can't you?"

Rose rubbed the back of her neck. "Doctor?" she said. He turned around to face her. "What's going on?"

"It's the Tardis," he started to explain, "she's been… talking to me again." Rose inhaled quickly. _He had been speaking to the Tardis._

"What did she say?" she asked.

The Doctor looked away. "That I…"

"What?" Rose pressed gently.

"I don't know," The Doctor said, making Rose sigh internally, "I don't really understand her yet. But she'll come through, won't you old girl?" He started running around the console, flicking buttons, like he always did, bursting with energy in an attempt to distract himself from the conversation they were having (or where almost having).

"Alright, I've started the engines, now she has to take over." Seeming to hear him, the Tardis burst into life, and Rose felt the vortex shift around them. The Doctor grinned at her, and she couldn't help grinning back. No matter what situation they were in, she could never stop herself smiling in return. She held out a hand, which he took like he always did, as the Tardis spun through the vortex. As quickly as it had started it stopped. Gently, not throwing them back like it usually did.

"Well," said the Doctor, "I guess we're here." He walked over to the door and held it open, motioning for Rose to go first. She smiled at the gesture, and stepped over the threshold.

* * *

She gasped as she stepped outside. It was the ballroom, but unlike she had seen it before. It was completely deserted. The usually sparkling lights were turned off, and there was no music. Instead of chandeliers, the ballroom was lit by moonlight. The cool light made the ocean-like floor even more beautiful, and the icicles hanging from the ceiling looked colder than they ever have. There were cobwebs over the chairs and walls, but somehow that made everything more beautiful. There were a few pieces of broken glass and diamond on the floor, gathering dust.

The Doctor stepped beside her. "Everyone's gone home," he said. He looked down at his watch and raised his eyebrows slightly. "For good." Rose looked at him in confusion. "It's closed," he explained, "officially. It's been fifty-four years since we were last year. We've missed the revolution. No one comes here anymore."

"It's beautiful," Rose said softly, "even like this it's… it's amazing." Her accent sounded thicker than it usually did, and the Doctor knew it was a sign she was emotional. He took her hand in his. She looked up at the ceiling. "What about him?" she asked. "Taro, I mean. What happened to him?"

The Doctor almost felt a pang of jealousy, but it was cut off by pity. "I don't know," he lied, "never really read up on Qualaxian history."

"Oh," she said, understanding what he had not said.

He looked down. She knew him too well. "I'm sorry, Rose."

"S'alright. He was just… a… a random bloke at a party, really. Stupid to be upset." She walked over to an abandoned chair, brushing off a spider's web. "It's funny," she said, "when we were here last time it felt like it would last forever. But nothing does, does it?"

He wanted desperately to walk over to her, but something held him back. "Not even the sky," he said. Rose looked up at him and smiled, taking him by surprise. "You said that on our first date," she said. He grinned at her, remembering. "We had chips!" She laughed back at him, "I know, I paid! Cheapskate." He laughed again.

_Let her heal you, before it's too late._

The Doctor didn't know if the Tardis' words were new, if she was speaking to him now, or it was just a memory, but he listened to her and walked over to Rose.

"Rose Tyler," he said, taking her hand, "May I have this dance?"

She grinned at him. The grin he loved – tongue in teeth and eyes sparkling. "Yes, you may," she said.

He led her onto the dance floor, putting a hand on her waist. "Oh, wait a minute," he said, taking out his sonic screwdriver and pointing it at the Tardis' open door. Music started to float out of her and over to them. Rose laughed, "very clever." "See I'm not a bad date after all," he teased back.

They swayed slowly, him holder her close enough that she could hear his hearts beating. "Doctor?" she said softly, not wanting to spoil the moment.

"Mmmm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course. Unless its can we go to Britney Spears, because in that case I don't want to know."

She giggled for a second, and then breathed slowly. "It's not that," she said.

"Oh I'm almost disappointed."

"Sure you are."

It was The Doctor who laughed this time, spinning her around a little.

"But really. I was just wondering about something you said…"

He frowned a little, not that she could see. "What is it?"

"The Tardis talking to you… Did she say anything about me?"

The Doctor swallowed, and Rose felt his chest rise and fall.

"No. No she didn't say anything."

She looked up at him and smiled a little sadly. She had never really expected him to say yes. But knowing that something was coming, that something was probably going to happen to her, made her wish he had. She put her head back on his chest and decided to just be in this moment.

"'Kay," she said, and she could have sworn the music got a little louder as the hand around her waist tightened, pulling her in closer protectively.

She didn't know how long they stayed like that, just moving slowly, but she felt herself getting tired after a while, and Rose stumbled a little. The Doctor caught her, not that it was much of a feat, when they were so close, and smiled down at her. "Sleepy?" he asked.

"You could say that," she replied, rubbing her eyes. For some reason he felt his hearts surge with affection. "Do you want me to carry you in?" he said, cocking his head towards the Tardis. Rose hit him playfully. "There may be an age gap between us, but I'm not a little kid!" He rolled his tongue in his mouth. "Never said you were."

She bit the inside of her cheek. "Right then. Well I'm off to bed, I think." She paused. "You're not carrying me, but you could walk me to my room?" Rose rubbed her arm.

"Oh! Yeah! That's, uh, sure," The Doctor said, trying to remind himself that this was _just Rose_. He basically lived with her. For someone over nine hundred years old, it was funny how much he sometimes reminded Rose of a teenage boy.

She smiled at him with a bemused expression as they walked back into the Tardis. "That was lovely," she said, running her hand over the rail. It was the last thing she said before they reached her bedroom door again.

"Well, here we are then," The Doctor said, running a hand through his hair. Rose looked up at him with the same love she always had in her eyes. "Night, Doctor," she said, kissing him on the cheek before closing the door.

He put a hand to his cheek, looking at her door, and exhaled slowly, feeling his hearts beating loudly in his chest. "Good night," he sighed.

* * *

As always, The Doctor was awake hours before Rose was. If it had been anyone else with him he would have liked having a little solitude, collecting his thoughts, but every moment without Rose seemed to be spent waiting for her. '_Because I died for her_,' The Doctor reminded himself, as he felt around in one of the many kitchen drawers, trying to be as quiet as possible.

Rose thought the Tardis materialised breakfast for her, and The Doctor was happy to let her think that. The impressed look on her face each morning was better than any 'thank you' she would have given him.

_"And you kissed her…" _The Tardis whispered into the back of his mind. He moved a little quicker to the next drawer. "That was a different me," he muttered, "I'm not him."

He remembered his old body fondly, even if he liked this one much better. He liked the way Rose looked at him in this one. And he liked the hair. He ran his hands through it fondly. But his old body had pulled off leather in a way he was sure would hang oddly off him now. And it had been the one that kissed Rose… He closed his eyes, and took himself back to that moment.

Her eyes were shining with the light of the universe, her mind was drowning in the power of time and space, but her lips were so soft, and sweet, and just _Rose_. And it had been perfect. As if there had never been anything to hold him back. No rules about time, or age, or danger. And she had kissed him in return. She was burning with the fire of a god, she could have rebuilt whole planets, changed the entire universe, and she had stopped to kiss him back. He smiled at the thought, but then abandoned it.

"That was my old body," he repeated the point, "she wouldn't feel the same about my new one."

_"You are the same."_

The Doctor pushed the Tardis' humming out of his head, and began the daily search for eggs, putting his glasses on to inspect several unmarked bottles. "Possibly milk," he said under his breath.

"Thief!"

The Doctor spun around, almost dropping what might have been milk.

Impossibly, magically, it was happening again. The Tardis was standing in front of him, the same golden light shining out of her pores.

"But- but I thought you said this could only happen once?" he said, moving towards her. He stopped suddenly, and a shiver went up the back of his neck.

"You're not mine," he said warily, "you're not my Tardis."

She smiled softly. "I'm from your future. I travelled back along the vortex."

"How?" he asked her, voice firm. The upset in the timeline was making his skin feel tight. "Where did you get that amount of energy? Especially if the link with Rose is fractured - that must be taking up a hell of a lot of power."

"I'm in orbit around a burning sun."

The Doctor's eyes went wide. "And I haven't noticed!?"

She stepped a little closer to him. "Oh, my thief, you're the one burning it."

"And why would I do that?" he asked, still cautious.

"You have to," she said, as if it was simple. "You're too distracted to notice any irregularities in my system, you can't see that I've left you to come here. But I have to. Seeing you as you are, as you will be, means that I have no choice."

The Doctor didn't say anything, but frowned, not understanding.

The Tardis sighed. "I thought that I had made it clear to you last time we spoke. I thought if I took you back to the ballroom… But now I see how stubborn you are." She paused for a moment, golden eyes blazing. "You will loose her."

He backed away a little further, "why are you saying this?" he said, his voice almost angry.

She stood her ground, seemingly refusing to be effected by his aggression. "I would never lie to you, my Doctor, you know that I can only speak the truth. I need you to understand. You have very little time, especially for a time lord. If you don't tell her you will never loose that guilt. I have tried to protect you, and protect my wolf, but the walls of the world are closing and there are things to be set in motion now."

"I don't understand."

"You will. Soon you will," she stepped forward to put her hand on his face. Suddenly her body seemed to pulse, and her eyes opened a little wider, as if she was in shock. She looked down, as if in pain. "She is gone," she said softly. The Tardis met his eyes again. "Save yourself from some of your pain, my Thief, and tell her your hearts." She stepped away from him. "I must go," she said, "you need me now." There was a golden flash, and she was gone.

The Doctor moved away from where she had stood, and placed what-could-be-milk on the counter softly. He drew in a deep breath.

He would tell Rose how he felt.


	5. Chapter 5

Her hair kept getting in her face. It was silly really, such a tiny thing. A few strands of hair in her face. There was absolutely no reason why seeing Rose's hair fall like that, then watching her tuck it behind her ear again should make a heart flutter. Let alone two. She looked up at him. She almost always licked her lips first, he had noticed that. Then she tried again to stop her hair falling. She blinked. Somehow when her eyes opened again they seemed even bigger, brighter than before. And then there it was; that smile. A silly thing, really. Just a smile. But nothing else in the universe made him so filled up with light - so confident and happy and just… brilliant. It was that smile.

There was a sect on a world thousands of light years from Rose's, where a tiny group of wanderers had learnt to slow down their perception of time. Every second, every minute, was slower to them. They said that after a while they could feel the beat of every millisecond, take in every moment of time that passed them. The Doctor understood that, because he could feel it too. He could slow down the world. If he wanted to, that is. He could see like humans, and he chose to most of the time, all flying colours and minutes racing past so fast you could miss them. But sometimes he chose to see things like an old time lord. To watch every fraction, every tiny change slowly develop. And that was how he saw Rose.

She blinked again, teeth skirting over her lip like it always did when she was in thought. He could see her chest slowly fill with air; her lips part oh so slightly as she started to exhale. Her eyes where on his, and he wondered if this moment could ever be so beautifully, fantastically slow for her.

"Doctor?" she asked, and his mind raced back to a more standard pace.

"Rose!" he grinned.

"Are you alright?" She said, looking at him with an amused expression.

"Of course I am. So… where to?"

"I thought you were the designated driver," Rose quipped teasingly.

"Oh always, but as I have said before, your wish is my command."

"Hmmm… well then, Doctor, I wanna see Britney."

"Are you testing me?"

"Possibly," she laughed. She bit her lip for a second, mid-grin, watching him like naughty school kid.

"You _are_ testing me!" He pretended to be shocked.

Rose laughed again. "Okay, okay! I wanna see… the King."

"The King?"

"Elvis!"

* * *

He had to admit, he was a show off. It took him a good part of half an hour to find that scooter, then a little longer to work out how exactly he was going to hide it from her before he rode out. But it was all worth it for his entrance, and the gleeful grin it inspired in Rose.

"You goin' my way, doll?"

She practically jumped up and down.

"Is there any other way to go, Daddy-o?"

* * *

He sat down in the detective inspector's office as cocky as ever, not that they could tell that. Or maybe they could, it _was_ hard to tell when he was being rude. That was why he needed Rose here, he thought to himself, _'she'd say if that was rude'. _ He remembered where he was, and snapped back into action.

"Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know."

The inspector filled him in as much as he could, of course missing out on some information that the Doctor really would have liked, but that wasn't his fault, how could he have known what sort of thing he was dealing with? But the Doctor liked him, he seemed eager enough to find out the truth, and he had given him access to everything they had.

He had been looking at something, a report, when he heard someone speak from the door. Whatever it was that he had been looking at, the Doctor dropped it when he saw her shoes.

"Take a look then Doctor," he heard the inspector say, "See what you can deduce."

They were pink.

The man pulled off the sheet covering her.

_"Rose." _His voice was thick in his throat, too tight.

"You know her?"

"Know her she…" _'She's Rose.' _

No.

This couldn't be happening.

_'No.'_

There was flat, empty skin where her eyes should have been. _Her eyes should have been there._ The eyes that seemed to look right into his soul whether he wanted them to or not… But they weren't there. There was nothing.

_'Please, no.' _

He was aware of the voice behind him talking, but all he could feel in his mind was anger, getting thicker and hotter with every second he looked at her. Something in his mind was still paying attention though, and the words came into focus.

"They did what?" he said, his voice flat, trying, only for a second, to remain calm.

"I'm sorry?"

"They left her where?"

"Just… in the street."

"In the street," he repeated. He couldn't tell if the room was spinning or if it was, for once, standing completely still. The anger was still rising, and he could feel his voice starting to crack. "They left her in the street... They took her face, and just chucked her out and left her in the street." It was definitely cracking now, but he didn't care. "And as a result that makes things… simple, very, very simple."

He would find them.

"D'you know why?"

"No."

He was the Oncoming Storm. He was the darkness and the fire and the rage of a burning world and a thousand burning with it. He could stop an army, he could make powers crumble, and according to the Tardis, he could burn up an entire sun. And he would do it. Because they _would not_ take her from him. He would kill them first.

"Because, now, _Detective Inspector Bishop_," he almost yelled, spitting the words out as if they were fire, "there is no power _on this Earth_ that can stop me! Come on!"

He had been angry before. When someone had threatened her, even kidnapped her, it had bubbled hotly underneath the surface. He would let it come through for a moment, just to warn them. Show them the sort of man he could become, if they made him. But his was different. They had not just trapped her somewhere, or tried to use her as some sort of sick bait. This time they had really taken her. Taken her soul. They had taken away her smile. The tongue between her teeth and the way her eyes crinkled at the ends as she laughed. Her eyes and her lips and her bemused expression when he did something rude. It was all gone.

He had been angry before, but this was more than that. This was something else.

_'No second chances_.'

They had just used up their first - their _only_ chance.

He would find them.

* * *

The Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver as he tried to locate the power source in Magpie's shop. The televisions flickered, and his stomach twisted a little as he realised what it was.

He looked around quickly, unsettled by the voiceless faces around him, and then he saw her. The Doctor knelt down sadly in front of Rose, watching her desperately mouth his name. He wished bitterly, for half for a second, that she could see him. He reached out and touched the screen.

"I'm on my way," he promised.

* * *

He couldn't help smiling as he walking to where she would be, couldn't help grinning when he saw her, and he couldn't help picking her off the ground and holding on for dear life – if only for a few seconds (or was that minutes...). He couldn't help tucking her hair behind her ear, and saying, "I missed you," and absolutely meaning couldn't help thinking _'I love you,' _and absolutely meaning that as well. And he wanted to think he couldn't help trying to brush that thought aside as quickly as possible, either.

As they walked back to the Tardis, hand in hand, like they always did, his mind went back to the conversation he had had with his ship.

_'You will loose her.'_

He squeezed Rose's hand a little tighter, hoping she wouldn't notice. She did, looking down slightly to hide her smile.

_'You will loose her.'_

But he had lost her – he'd lost her today. And he'd found her again. _'This wasn't what she meant,'_ he thought, and for a moment, he almost forced himself to try and comprehend it. Rose gone. Really gone. Lost. But then he felt Rose squeezing his hand back, and he couldn't help but pretend that this had been what his ship had meant, and that now his loss was over.

He knew that it wasn't, of course he did, he was too old not to know. But in that moment, walking back to his ship, he let himself pretend to be sure of two things. First, that Rose was safe, and second, that he didn't have to tell her he loved her, because she already knew.

* * *

**Thank you thank you thank you(!) to the people who reviewed, I'm still sort of getting used to writing on here and feedback is awesome and really helpful. I promise I won't take so long to put the next chapter up (it'll be longer too), and I'm sorry this once had a bit of episode recounting in it, it feels necessary though, so hopefully no one minds! **

**Happy reading :)**


	6. Chapter 6

_"The valiant child who will die in battle." _

_The Tardis shined gold. "You will loose her."_

_"It said I was going to die in battle," Rose repeated, looking at him with a sort of fearful sadness he wasn't sure how to fix._

_"Then it lied."_

The Doctor's eyes flew open again. He had been so close to sleep, but this was one memory that was anything but a lullaby. He tried to get his mind to focus on the happier moments of the day – rescuing the rocket, giving Ida back, reuniting with Rose… but it didn't work. He just kept coming back to the last thing he wanted to remember, the only thing couldn't seem to forget.

_"The valiant child who will die in battle."_

He sat up. He had lost her already, when the Wire had taken her from him, and then he had found her again, and she was _safe._ Wasn't she? He ran a hand through his hair and groaned involuntarily. He could feel the Tardis trying to whisper something, a few words, but he blocked her out. He didn't want to hear it, whatever it was. Why was the universe always trying to take things away from him?

Sometimes he liked having time lord hearing. He could hear Rose humming softly, rooms away. Her voice helped him steady his breath. She sounded brilliant when she sang, not that she did often. He recognised the tune, but he wasn't sure where from. He played it over in his mind a few times… where had he heard that? Then it clicked. The ballroom. That was the song they had danced too. Well, she had danced to it. With someone else.

_"Oh get a grip," _he thought to himself. She could be in danger, and here he was thinking about how closely Taro had held her waist… _"Stop it," _he thought. _"It's not important." _But suddenly he could see her face in the empty, abandoned room…

_"It's stupid to be upset."_

_"I'm sorry."_

She had been upset over his death, he knew that. That was Rose though, she was kind and sweet and the type of person who cared when someone got left behind. That was part of the reason why he… liked her. It didn't mean she thought any more of him than she did of anyone else who he hadn't saved. But she was humming that song.

_"You embarrassed me."_

That was over now, that stupid fight, it was done._ But she was humming that song._ He tried to ignore it, but his mind kept jumping from the ball to the Beast and he couldn't sit comfortably. She had believed him, when he told her the Beast had lied. He was sure she had. She was still scared, that was natural, but she trusted him. He didn't trust himself though... And painfully, regrettably, he trusted the Tardis. He tried to deny it, but he did. He knew that when she said something, it would happen. He wanted to be angry at something. He didn't want to hold this inside of him, this fear, this rage, this… burning that he felt when he imagined her being stolen from him.

His memory suddenly flew back to his old body.

Satellite 5.

_"Your stupid game killed her!" Jack screamed. He had fallen down_. Had he fallen? He couldn't remember. _The Doctor was on the ground. He ran his fingers through the ashes._

Rose hummed a little louder. Why did she have to hum that stupid song?

_He was in shock. Everything was quiet and empty and dull and nothing seemed to touch him. He could hear Jack screaming behind him, hear him clicking his gun, but the words meant nothing to him. She was dead. It was over._

_"Don't touch him!" Jack was still shouting – how could he even speak? "Don't you dare touch him!"_

_There were hands on him, lifting him up. He should fight back, something told him. He should stay here, with Rose. What was left of her. But why did it matter? Why did anything matter?_

She kept humming.

The Doctor stood up, suddenly not caring about where this anger went. He walked out of his room and strode towards hers without thinking, his eyes narrowed. She was singing now instead, her pretty voice forming the words of the song that someone else had danced with her to.

_"Oh, take me to where my love lays…"_

He hated this song.

_Taro's stupid hands were clawing all over her as she laughed at something he said._

_"Inside the fields of Kartilia's day…"_

He hated the words.

_He whispered in her ear and the Doctor tried to focus on his drink._

_"Where she did rise, so many did fall…"_

He hated the melody.

_The woman at the bar smiled that sympathetic smile at him again._

_"My love, poor heart, was one who was called…"_

_Rose spun around, landing neatly back into her partners arms._

He hated the way she sung it.

_"So take me lord, where my love once stood…"_

_The Doctor couldn't take his eyes away from them._

And he almost hated her for singing it.

_"He gave his life for all that is good…"_

_Rose looked over at him for a second, and then looked back to her partner._

The Doctor knocked on the door.

The singing stopped. He heard her footsteps, and then she opened the door, already smiling at him.

"Hello," she said. Her smile faltered as she looked up at him. "Doctor?"

He clenched his jaw a little. "Can you…" he looked away. "Could you stop singing?" His voice was flat, restrained, and annoyed; Rose couldn't help but feel a little hurt.

"Oh- um, I'm sorry," she started, clearly surprised. Her cheeks were slightly pink.

The Doctor looked at her properly now, and suddenly felt guilty. What was he doing? He fought the urge to slap himself.

"No," he said quickly, coming to his senses, "no don't be sorry. It was… lovely. I just don't like that song."

Rose looked less hurt now, and gave him a small smile. "Right… it was playing at the ballroom."

"That's why I don't like it," he muttered.

"Sorry?"

"Oh, nothing."

There was a brief, awkward pause. The Doctor tugged on his earlobe.

"Well then…" _'Break the tension, break the tension.'_ "Would you like some hot chocolate?"

Rose smiled properly now. "Sounds good to me!"

* * *

They had moved to the library with their mugs, and Rose sat in one on the huge armchairs, legs curled up, while the Doctor sat cross legged on the floor in front of her. She held the mug in her hands, warming them, close to her chest. They had been talking about nothing really, just planets and star systems and the sort of thing he usually babbled on about when they had a quiet moment. She seemed to like it.

"Doctor?" she asked, as he took a break in his monologue.

"Mm?"

"How big is your wardrobe?"

"My wardrobe? I have no idea… Why?"

"Well the other day, when I was getting changed…" his face flushed a little (hopefully unnoticeably) at the memory. "It sort of surprised me that you could get lost in your own wardrobe." Rose ran her fingers along her cheek thoughtfully.

"Ah… that was sort of the Tardis' doing."

Rose looked at him with an amused expression.

"It was! She was moving things around! Cheeky…"

"Why'd she wanna to do that for?" she questioned him, and he bit back a grin at her London dialect coming through.

"Well… it was sort of a joke, I think."

Rose didn't seem to buy it. "_The Tardis_ played a joke?"

"Yeah she… sort of… directed me to you…" the Doctor said, trying not to seem awkward.

"Bit rude," said Rose, raising her eyebrows.

"Oi!" he replied, only half joking, "She's got feelings you know."

"Believe me I know," muttered Rose, making the Doctor look at her questioningly, but she didn't continue.

"So," she said, smiling at him, "what were you saying about that planet?"

* * *

It hadn't been very long since Rose was at home, not by their standards anyway, but for reason she really wanted her Mum. Maybe because The Doctor had been acting so... oddly. The Doctor landed the Tardis in the same place he always did, expecting Jackie would hear it. He was however, a little surprised that she ran down to them. Rose opened the door and was immediately smothered by her mother, who pulled her into a huge hug.

"Mum!" Rose laughed, "Mum I'm fine! What's this for?" Jackie pulled back smiling, but it was obvious something was wrong. The Doctor stepped towards her concerned, "What's happened?"

The Doctor sat on the couch opposite Jackie as Rose made tea in the kitchen. It was nice, he had thought, how quickly she sprung into action when she saw her Mum was upset. She was just as protective of her Mum as she was of her. Well, almost, but only another parent could know that sort of feeling.

"Jackie," the Doctor began, putting a hand on her knee, "whatever it is, you can tell me."

Rose put the mugs in front of them and sat down next to her Mum, putting an arm around her.

"What is it, Mum?" she asked gently.

Jackie bit her lip, obviously unsure, but nodded. "Someone was looking for you," she said, nodding at the Doctor. He frowned as she continued, "it's happened before, but… he seemed nice. I thought… I thought he really liked me."

The Doctor glanced up at Rose, who shot him a concerned look before rubbing her mother on the arm.

"Whoever they are," he said, "I'll make sure they can never come here again. I'm sorry, Jackie, I'm so sorry."

Jackie sniffed a little. "'S fine," she said, "'s nothing."

"It's not nothing, Mum!" said Rose, suddenly more annoyed, "He used you! That's not fair!" She stood up, "and if there's one thing I won't let happen, it's having some git upset my Mum. C'mon Doctor," she said, marching towards the door, "I wanna talk to this guy."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, making to follow her outside, but Jackie stopped him. He looked down at her.

"I saw the way you were looking at her," she said quietly, and the Doctor didn't know quite what to do, "has something happened?"

He wished he didn't understand what she was talking about. "She's fine," he said, "she's safe." He went to walk away, but Jackie held, on standing up to meet him.

"You may think I don't know you Doctor, but I do. And you never took your eyes off her."

Rose stuck her head back in the door. "Are you coming or what?" she said, before marching out again.

Jackie smiled a little, "she feels the same way, you know. You should tell her."

The Doctor only looked at her before running after her daughter.

* * *

_"Oh this is not good, this is so not good," _The Doctor thought to himself as he paced around the console.

Jackie knew._ Jackie knew._ He liked Jackie, he even occasionally ventured into domestic for her, but she wasn't quick in the same way her daughter was. If Jackie knew, then Rose must know too.

He groaned internally as he collapsed into a chair.

She must have seen the way he looked at her. Like she was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen. _'Well,' _he corrected himself, _'she is.' _He sighed a little. There was no way of knowing if the Tardis was right, really. But if Rose did know how he felt, he really should say it. _'Unless she doesn't want you to,' _he thought, hearing her humming that song inside his head, '_what if that makes her want to go home?' _He went through his memories.

_The Doctor held Rose's hand and looked into her eyes. _

_"How long are you staying with me?"_

_"Forever," she said. _

He almost replayed the moment as proof. '_She'd never leave,' _he thought, a little triumphantly. Sure, it might be awkward for a while (he wouldn't allow himself to entertain that she might feel the same way), but he wouldn't tell her everything. He wouldn't say, "Rose Tyler, I love you." No. That would be thick. Thickity, thick, thick. He'd just say… I fancy you? He groaned again. There was no way he could say that.

_'Does it really need saying?'_ he asked himself.

_'Yes,' _the Tardis softly hummed.

* * *

Rose drummed her fingers on her vanity thoughtfully as she looked at herself in the mirror. She bit her lip. The Doctor had been acting… strange, to say the least. She picked up her mascara and started to coat her top lashes.

If it were any other bloke she'd say he was nervous. But this was the Doctor. He was a nine hundred and something (she could never quite remember) year old time lord. He was the Oncoming Storm, for goodness sake. The idea of someone like that fancying a London shop girl, even if she was more than that now, was ridiculous.

He loved her, she knew that, but in the same way that she loved Mickey, she supposed. But then he had kissed her… Rose put her head in her hand for a moment and allowed herself to gaze a little dreamily into the mirror.

At first she had told him she didn't remember what happened, which was true. But then the Tardis had started whispering to her, letting her mind see the things she had forgotten. It had been beautiful, that moment. Surrounded by the time vortex, that pure, golden glow, and feeling him lean in, pressing his lips, finally, against hers. Complete.

But then he had died. And, most likely, taken any romantic affection with him. It broke her heart a little (well, more than that) to think about it. Which is why she usually didn't.

Rose picked up a brush and started to lightly sweep blush across her cheekbones, doing her best to dismiss her thoughts.

She had to fight back a groan as she walked into the console room. He looked good. Of course. His hair was a little different, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the change (_"that's a yes to back combing,"_ he thought smugly, noticing her looking), and somehow his eyes seemed browner than usual. His suit was pulled a little tight across his chest from his position against the console, which she tried to ignore. The last thing she needed to do right now was blush…

He grinned at her as she walked over to him; trying not to give her the same look she was avoiding giving him. Her hair was in pigtails, and he didn't know why he liked that so much, but he definitely did. He swallowed once.

"Right then, Rose Tyler," he said, banging his teeth together and regaining his usual charisma, "I have a surprise for you."

* * *

"Oh this is brilliant!" she gushed, leaning into him as they walked under the Olympic banner, and the Doctor beamed internally at her happiness. He gave her his usual speech, ranting about Greece and sports and humans, and she listened happily in the same way she always did. As they rounded the corner, however, he noticed her looking at him with mild concern.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Have you been… feeling alright lately?"

His stomach did a small flip. "Oh, yeah. You know me, always enthusiastic," he said, finishing in an silly voice.

"You sure?" she asked.

"Well… I have been suffering from a mild condition," he said, and she knew by his tone he was teasing her.

"What's that then?" she asked, dropping her arm from his with a smirk.

"Prince-envy," he said, leaving a slightly shocked Rose Tyler behind him as he walked ahead as quickly as possible.

* * *

The Doctor munched happily on the cake Rose had presented him with at their reunion, still praising (although only to himself now) the genius of edible baubles.

"You know," Rose said, "they keep trying to split us up, but they never will."

"Never say never ever," the Doctor said lightly, ignoring the urge to grab her and lock them inside the Tardis.

_"You will loose her."_

He looked up at the sky, and suddenly everything was wrong. He could feel it. He could feel the Tardis' knowledge, her anguish at what was to come. He could feel the inevitability, and he regretted saying his last words so lightly.

He fought the urge to look down at Rose, then fought another to kiss her, hold her to him, never let her go.

The Doctor kept his eyes on the clouds, which seemed much darker than they had a few moments ago. He felt Rose's eyes on him, and wondered if she could see the fear in his eyes was desperately trying to hide from her.

"There's a storm coming," he said.

* * *

**Another chapter up! I'm getting to close to the end now I think, so any feedback would be really wonderful. Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far, I hope you've been enjoying it! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor closed the door of the Tardis and leant against it for a moment, looking at Rose's worried expression.

"What do you mean, a storm?" she said.

"I don't know." He looked away.

"Is it… is it something to do with what the beast said?"

"I don't know. I don't think so. Maybe."

Rose chewed her lip and put a hand on the console. She nervously tucked some hair behind her ear.

"Should I be scared?" she said.

The Doctor looked back up at her, meeting her eyes. Rose noticed he looked almost as scared as she did. There was a second of silence.

"What is it, Doctor? What's happening?"

He groaned, running his hands down his face.

"The Tardis," he said, " The Tardis has been talking to me."

Rose frowned at him. "But what's wrong with that? Doesn't she always talk to you?"

The time lord walked over and leaned on the console in front of her, waving his hands as he spoke.

"There's a... a telepathic link, inside the heart of the ship, you know - you've felt it, but it got stronger," The Doctor started to ramble.

"It… it fed off other energy and created a stronger link. A visual tie. It's still only inside my head, but I could see her, I could… I could touch her. Almost like a hologram, but... tactile. You see usually with a mild link, even a strong one, you can only send a few words, a few emotions at a time. You can bounce off the energy of both parties and over _time_ build up a better link - but it's still not like talking to another person – like the way you and I talk. But the Tardis _used you_, Rose, it used your connection to her like a battery, charged herself up and made that visual connection. She talked to me in the same way you do."

Rose paused for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying. "But… that's good isn't it? You can talk to her properly. Isn't that… don't you want that?"

The Doctor bit the inside of his cheek. "It takes a massive amount of power to do – it's not something you just do on a whim… And she did it twice. Came back a second time."

Rose nodded slowly. "Why didn't you say anything?"

He looked down at her, hoping she wouldn't look hurt. But she didn't, she looked worried for him instead. He took her hand.

"I didn't want to say anything until I knew what was happening."

"But didn't she tell you?"

The Doctor looked into her eyes, and they both knew that she had.

"She might have been in a humanoid form, but she was still the Tardis… cryptic as ever." He rubbed the console affectionately.

Rose dropped his hand and paced for a moment, still not sure she understood. She looked away from the Doctor for a moment. _'He's hiding something,' _she thought.

"Wait… you said she used me? How did she use me?"

"When you came back for me, on Satellite 5, when you looked into the time vortex, that created something powerful."

"The Bad Wolf."

The Doctor nodded, "Right. But more than that. Even after I took the energy out of you the link between you and the Tardis was still there – not as strong as it was, your mind couldn't have dealt with that – but it was still solid enough for her to use, make herself stronger – flow through your mind and into mine."

"Is that why I could hear you?"

"What do you mean? When?"

"You said it's happened twice now. But it was only one time..."

"She used a different kind of energy the second time," the Doctor said, brow furrowed, sounding concerned.

"Right… well, I was in bed. And I heard this… humming, like the Tardis, but then it got stronger for a moment, and I could actually feel it, feel her emotions, I think, and then it... just went away again."

The Doctor bit his lip, frowning. "That was all that happened?"

"For a few minutes, yeah. But then it came back. Softer, though. And then I could hear you."

He raised his eyebrows. "Me?"

Rose nodded, looking thoughtful. "Not… not exactly your voice, or anything. It was like… like the Tardis, but different. And I don't know, I just… I just knew it was you. I thought I was imagining it at first, but…" She trailed off, looking a little unsure.

The Doctor ran his tongue along his teeth.

"The link must have been stronger for you than we thought," he said, hoping that that was the right answer. They couldn't have been bonded. _'Impossible,'_ he dismissed it.

"But… hang on a second. So the Tardis could… link with me because of Bad Wolf, right?"

"You got it."

"But… how could you and I link? How are we connected?"

The Doctor put his hands in his pockets and turned around, pulling out his sonic and pretending to fiddle with the console.

"Oh you know," he said, "time… energy."

"Time energy?"

"Mhmm…"

Rose frowned. She was not letting him off with a lie that pathetic. She walked around so that she could see his face. The Doctor didn't make eye contact.

"Doctor," she said softly.

He met her stare.

"Alright," he said, breathing in for a moment before continuing, "when I… when I took the energy out of you, when we…"

_'Kissed.'_ The Doctor looked at her for a moment, remembering. No. _Not_ the time.

"… When I took it into me, it didn't just link you and the Tardis. It interconnected us as well."

"So… that's our link?" Rose said.

He clenched his fist for a second, fighting the urge to turn away. He could stop here. He could just tell her that. Just leave it at that. He inhaled again deeply. No, he was going to tell her.

"No. No, that was broken, severed when the Tardis took the energy back. It was there for a little while, but it didn't have the same power as the one with the Tardis, it couldn't maintain itself. Wasn't strong enough."

"But… I don't get it then. How could she link us?"

"When..." He started speaking, hearts in his throat. _'Oh, god.' _

"...When I took the power out of you, it was too strong for even me, and I had to regenerate… You were the last person I saw, before I died. And that… that created a bond, between us."

Rose nodded, looking a little touched. _'She has no idea,'_ the Doctor thought.

"My people use to call it a psychosomatic connection… and usually that's all they are, just a connection. But…" he looked away for a moment, self-conscious, but then met her eyes again with more force. "But it's more than that."

The Doctor took her hands, and Rose felt her breath hitch a little in her throat.

He continued, not taking his eyes away from hers. "I didn't just die seeing you, I died _for you_. I died… I died because I… because I loved you," he swallowed hard, almost wanting to slap himself at the false past tense, but sure she would understand, "And that… sacrifice fed into me when I regenerated. I thought… He thought of you… shaped my- himself for you - and that's what made our bond."

Rose looked stunned for a moment, she blinked slowly. When she spoke, it was almost a whisper.

"I always knew," she said, wanting to look away, but her eyes wouldn't leave his, "I always knew you used t- that _he_ loved me."

She breathed in sharply, pulling her hands from his, and turned and walked away as quickly as she could, not wanting him to see her tears.

_'I loved you.'_

_'I loved you.'_

_'I loved you.'_

_'Loved.'_

Rose closed her bedroom door behind her and collapsed onto the bed. She had been right. Painfully, heart-breakingly right. She let out a sob, and then hated herself for it. The Doctor was enough, she told herself, wiping her eyes. Even if he didn't feel the same way she did. He _had_ loved her, once. She should be grateful for that – shouldn't she?

She sat up. _'Some things are worth getting your heart broken for.'_

Sarah Jane was right, she decided for the hundredth time. Rose inhaled, steadying her breath. She stood up, and walked over to the vanity. She tried to breathe slowly as she picked up concealer and dabbed it under her eyes. Her hands found mascara and gave her eyelashes a quick coat, then fixed the redness around her nose. She breathed in again, slowly tugging off her shirt. Rose looked at herself in the mirror for second, then reached over and picked up a new top, a blue one she liked, pulling it over herself. She smoothed it down before taking out her hair and running her fingers through it, and took in her appearance. She looked much better. _'Even good'_, she thought, surprised. The sooner she faced him the better, she decided. And he still hadn't told her what this storm was, and why the Tardis needed to warn him about it.

The Doctor did nothing. For once, he was completely still. Standing exactly as he had been before she dropped his hand. _'I should go after her,'_ he thought. _'I should tell her.' _ He went to silence his thoughts, as he always did, but the Tardis hummed inside his head, and finally, he let her in, closing his eyes.

_"This is it," _she whispered, and the Doctor opened his eyes, letting his mouth drop a little. He understood.

This was his last chance.

She was leaving.

It was real.

It was real.

_'It's real.'_

He didn't feel his knees sink, or feel a small silent cry escape his lips. He didn't feel his hands try and steady themselves against the console, or the air moving past him.

It was all so slow. Every second stretched on, and he could hear Rose in his head. _'Forever.'_

He was on the floor now. He looked down at his hands.

And then he was back there again.

_"Your stupid game killed her!" Jack screamed. _

_He looked at the ashes. Her ashes. Her. How could it be her? He ran his hand through them. 'No,' he thought, 'No. No. No. NO.' His mind stopped. Had his hearts stopped as well? He didn't know. He didn't know anything. Only one fact swirled through his mind, twisting and turning. 'Rose is dead.'_

_Hands were on him, pulling him up, pulling him away. He should stay with her. He should – no. No it didn't matter. Nothing mattered. He was standing now._

He was standing now. The Doctor cleared his throat, registering his surroundings. It was going to happen again. And this time she wouldn't be coming back. He knew it. The Tardis had told him. And he'd wasted time pretending he didn't believe her.

He heard slow footsteps behind him and turned around.

Rose stood behind him. She looked beautiful.

"I- I got a little overwhelmed," she said, obviously trying to sound casual. "Sorry."

The Doctor walked forward, not saying anything.

Thousands of light years from Rose's home world, trapped inside a time lock, raging against the last time war, the Doctor's people had learnt to slow down time.

And so did he.

She blinked.

Every moment was slower.

Brilliantly, fantastically, slow.

Rose grazed her lip, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. His hearts stopped beating.

He walked over to her.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I'm so sorry."

"Doctor?"

He leaned in, closing the distance between them.

Their eyes closed. He placed a hand around her waist, gently pulling her closer to him, while his other hand rested on her cheek, his thumb underneath her jaw. Rose felt her knees go weak, letting her weight fall into him as he brought his lips to hers, grazing them softly for a moment, lingering, before he pulled her in quickly, making her sigh, and kissing her deeply, passionately, letting his body sink into hers as he threw aside any fear or denial or insecurity.

They pulled apart briefly, and he gazed into her eyes, which flickered open blissfully.

"I still love you," he whispered, and he kissed her again.

When they finally broke apart he still held on to her, as if trying to document every second of this moment. She smiled up at him, completely forgetting that there was a storm coming – so close they could have touched it.

But he hadn't forgotten.

He traced a fingertip lightly over her bottom lip, and she felt as if she was in a trance. The Doctor kissed her forehead, and she closed her eyes.

"Now then," he said, breaking the spell and leaping back to the console, "we have things to do, you and me!"

Rose was still stunned. "Like- like what?" she stuttered, not quite sure if she was dreaming.

"Well," the Doctor said, suddenly unable to look at her, "you wanted to give that Bazoolium to your mother!"

The Tardis burst into life, flying through the vortex, dancing through space and time. The ship sighed softly as she prepared to land at the Powell Estate, humming a sad song that her Thief now refused to hear.

Doomsday had arrived.

It was all over.

* * *

**Deep breaths - that was emotional to write. I hope I haven't left anyone with too many Doomsday-grief-feelings! I wrote it to the Broadchurch soundtrack, so it was bound to get a lil angsty. I was going to continue, but I think I might leave it here, since I wouldn't have changed their ending. Too sad and simple and beautiful. So there you go! I hope you liked my first fan fic (I'm definitely hooked), thank you to everyone who has been following, I appreciate the support xx**


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